The present invention relates to front panels to be installed in the front of electrical equipment such as video cassette recorders or the like.
Conventionally, the push buttons of a front panel for electrical equipment are formed separately from the main panel. In the subsequent assembling of the front panel, the push buttons are fitted to the main panel and joined to the main panel by welding for example. However, the front panel to be constructed in such a manner requires increased components as well as increased steps in assembling, thus hardly reducing the manufacturing cost of the front panel. Therefore, a front panel has been proposed that has push buttons formed integrally with the main panel.
FIG. 7 shows a cross section of the front part of a video cassette recorder having such a front panel. A front panel 100 includes a main panel 102 for covering the front of electrical equipment, push buttons 103 for entering a variety of commands from a user, and a cover panel 104 for ornament around the push buttons. The push button 103 is formed integrally with the main panel 102. The cover panel 104 is formed separately from them and then mounted on the main panel 102. The main panel 102 has a recessed base 105 for accommodating the push button 103. The push button 103 has a bridge 106 so as to be formed integrally with the base 105 through the bridge. The bridge 106 is provided under the push button 103, and there is a groove 107 around the push button 103 except the bridge 106. The back of the push button 103 has a switch operating arm 108 formed integrally therewith for operating a push-button switch 62. The push-button switch 62 is mounted on a mounting board 61 provided on a chassis 6. When the push button 103 is pressed, the bridge 106 is bent so that the end of the switch operating arm 108 presses the push-button switch 62 for operation. The front panel 100 needs the cover panel 104 provided on the main panel 102 for covering up the bridge 106 and the groove 107 because it is not preferable in view of appearance to have the bridge 106 and the groove 107 exposed at the front of the front panel. Thus, the front panel has double panels, i.e. the cover panel 104 and the base 105, at the lower part of the main panel 102.
There are known molded panels for use in electrical equipment such as rice cookers or the like that are arranged to join push buttons and a main panel by using an additional ornamental film (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2001-43770). Further, there are known front panels that have a main panel and push buttons formed integrally therewith both of which are made of elastic and thermoplastic elastomer resin (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication Nos. HEI 2-121815 and HEI 3-127417). A method of injection molding of hollow panels are also known that includes the step of forming a rib inside the panel for reinforcement so as to decrease the deformation due to load (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. HEI 5-278076).
However, either the front panel as shown in FIG. 7 or the molded panel as disclosed in the Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2001-43770 requires any additional component, e.g. the cover panel 104 or the ornamental film, thus failing to reduce the components and the assembling steps. Since the panel as disclosed in the Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. HEI 2-121815 or HEI 3-127417 is made of elastic elastomer resin, it is liable to deformation, thus not favorable as front panels for electrical equipment.